beef paprika

As part of my high-protein experiment, I made beef paprika today based on a recipe I found online.  Although it takes a while to simmer, the actual prep is really easy.  The taste is good: a sweetness that reminds me of BBQ, but with the genuineness of a hardy goulash.

stuffed chicken breast

A body is like a long-term science experiment.  We can change it for the better, or completely f it up.  So, in an effort to motivate myself to eat better, I started using my calorie tracker again (it's free and gives you a really detailed analysis of your food intake).  Well, among a lot of mistakes I'm making is my lack of protein, which I need to complement my beachbody workout for this summer.

Anyway, all of this led me to try out a some high-protein recipes.  This recipe for cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breast was really good and pretty easy. 

I deviated from the recipe a little.  First of all, I used feta cheese instead of pepper Jack because I like it better and that's what I had in the fridge.  Secondly, I didn't roll it, but bunched it up and wrapped the bacon around the edges.  I pressed them a little flat to look like steaks or pork wheels.  I'm not a big garlic fan, so I left that out, but added some butter ontop before baking.  Made it with rice and salad with honey mustard vinaigrette.

honey mustard vinaigrette

When weeks are long and busy, you have to make sure there are things to look forward to.  For example, every week we have TNBLTC (Tuesday night bacon-lettuce-tomato club) after classes.  Health-conscious as we are, however, we decided to switch it up with hot dogs one week.  Now, something that actually has to do with this recipe, is that from hot dog night we had some honey mustard left over and I decided to try it out as salad dressing.

Most recipes tell you to use honey and mustard, but pre-made honey mustard is almost better (but let's not get into processed foods...).  As usual, I didn't measure, but if I had to pull some numbers out of my... imagination, I would say: 1-2 tablespoons prepared honey mustard, 2-3 tablespoons (olive) oil, 1-2 tablespoons (apple cider) vinegar, and a good amount of salt and pepper.  It's strong, but if it turns out too sour for your liking, add a teaspoon or so of water.

For the salad itself, you can go wild.  I really like it with chopped up apples and strawberries.  Tip: I always add a little lemon juice to cut apples to keep them from turning brown and because I like the flavor.  In the picture I also sliced up a hot dog (a Leitmotiv, one might say).  You could use any protein, really.  Ham, pepperoni, garbanzo beans*, chicken breast...

* Did you know garbanzo beans are the same as chickpeas?  I didn't.  Also, one cup covers 25% of your daily protein.

german apple pancakes

Ah yes, the German pancake.  Balancing the line somewhere between crêpe and American pancake, they are versatile and yummy.  Somehow, most of the food I make isn't very photogenic, but trust me -- it tastes better than it looks. 

My favorite thing about it is that it only has four ingredients: eggs, flour, milk, apples.  Oh, and a dash of salt.  Optionally, you can make it sweeter by either adding sugar to the mixture or on top of the finished product (maybe with cinnamon?). 

The measuring is where it gets a little tricky.  The mix should be fairly liquidy, a little thicker than for crêpes.  A good rule of thumb is one egg per person, in other words one egg per two pancakes.  Then add a couple large tablespoons of flower.  Add milk until you get the desired consistency. 

Then, in a hot skillet, add a tablespoon or two of oil.  When it's hot, take a large ladleful of the mix and pour it in.  Since it's so liquidy, your pancake will be the size of the skillet.  Flip after about two minutes or when it browns on one side (see pic).  If no one's watching, try to flip it in the air.  If you're being judged, use a spatula.

Last thing: I just dump the (peeled green) apples into the mixture.  I've seen other people neatly arrange the slices on the cooking pancake.  It's up to you.

EDIT: Because of reader responses (aka two of three people who've ever seen this blog), I need to make an edit.  First off, the measurements.  Try one heaped spoon of flour per egg and a lot of milk, so it doesn't turn out too eggy.  Also, if you're making it as a dessert (with apples, or maybe other fruits) add two or three tablespoons of sugar to the batter before cooking the pancakes.

in germany

I'm in Germany for spring break and have to use the opportunity to eat good food.  My afternoon snack: Black Forest ham, Lyoner sausage, sweet-sour pickles, bread, and spicy mustard. 

easy fish fillets

Easy and tasty fish that doesn't take too long to make.  Because we're using frozen fish, you can easily make it for one person or for as many as you want.  Choose any (cheap) frozen white fish, like cod or flounder.  It goes well with rice or any sort of vegetables.  Most people say run the fish under cold water to thaw it right before using it, but I sometimes just throw it in a bowl of warm water and change the water when it cools down.  Fish cooks fast, so start rice or potatos early.

Once thawed, pat the fish dry.  While a good amount of butter melts in a non-stick pan, season the fish with salt, pepper, and paprika on one side.  When the butter stops bubbling, it's ready.  Cook the fish on high heat (but not high enough to burn the butter) spiced side down.  Season the other side while the fish cooks.  The trick is to not move the fish.  This makes it crispy and keeps it from falling apart.

With a spatula flip the fish after 3-4 minutes and cook it again undisturbed.  If you're serving vegetables with it, I like to throw in frozen vegetables a minute after I flip the fish.  Cooking things together not only spreads the flavor but saves on dishes.  They say fish is ready when you can easily flake it with a fork.  Perfect fish can be flaked with a fork on top but center should be just short of flaky.  Add some lemon or lime juice and enjoy!

eggs crazy

Sticking with the theme of everyday food, I would like to introduce you to "eggs crazy." The procedure: fry two eggs in two table spoons of butter. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. (Julia says never add salt at the end of cooking because the taste will be too strong and it won't bring out the food's natural flavors.) While you let the eggs get nice and crispy, toast two pieces of (wheat) bread.

My personal preference is to throw in some sliced tomatos a few minutes before the eggs are done. On the toast, I put (strawberry) jelly. Put the eggs onto the bread and cover with tomatoes. Drizzle the rest of the butter ontop. Poke the yolks to let them seep through to the bread. Be prepared for some salty-sweet goodness.

blt - bacon, lettuce, tomato

I wanted to commemorate not only my blog's new home, but also this amazing bacon-filled day.

Sometimes, instead of taking step-by-step pictures of recipes, I like to take pictures of everyday food I eat. I feel like there's no meal or snack or dessert too simple to make it look "gourmet." Even when making food for yourself, I think it's important to make it look delicious.

On a side note, I kind of like the fact that we only have small plates. It makes everything look rich and giant.

moving

Wait, why am I blogging again? Oh, that's right - I have homework. Instead of doing my millions of school tasks, I decided to finally move the food blog to a place that matches its name.

Welcome to alexsnax.blogspot.com.

I'm not 100% sure what will happen with alexexplainsitall.blogspot.com, but I'm thinking something along the line of art meets technology meets leisure time. We'll see.

inbetween update

So, I'm lazy again. I still have about four recipes to post from last year (!!) with a bunch of pictures just floating around inside my computer. That's one.

Two, I'm slightly obsessed with Julia Child (still). I got Mastering the Art of French Cooking for Christmas and can't get over it. Everything you've heard (because who doesn't hear tons about Julia Child everyday?) is true about the book: it's easy to read and follow, has great tips, helpful illustrations, and it's true, she does use a ton of butter. For four recipes I've used five sticks of butter already. They were:

- Variation on Gratin de volaille (Turkey Casserole, p. 157)
- Bitokes a la Russe (Hamburgers with Cream Sauce, p. 302)
- Poulet sauté (Sautéed Chicken, p. 254)
- Mousseline au chocolat (Chocoalte Mousse, p. 604)

The chocolate mousse was pretty gross (partly because of the coffee that goes in it and partly because I made it by hand, i.e. without a mixer). Let's just say it wasn't as moussey as it could've been. On other occasions, I've also made her omlette (below) and a roast chicken (coming soon).